Submarine torpedo.



W. R. GILLIS.

SUBMARlNE TORPEDO. APPLICATION-FILED S-EPT.25. 1915.

1,21 8 546. I Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. R. GILLIS.

SUBMARFNE TORPEDO.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 25. 1915.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WALTER l GILLES, 01* SUPERZGR, WISCONSIN.

snnrianrnn ro zarnno Specification of Letters Patent.

iatented Mar. 6, that Application filed September 25, 1915. Serial No. 52,687.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lli-xn'rnn It. GILLIS, a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Superior, in the county oi Douglas and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Submarine Torpedoes; and I do hegeby declare the following to be full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

T he invention relates to a submarine ammunition.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of ammunition and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive submarine ammunition equipped with a projectile adapted to'pass through water the same as through air so as to in crease the etiiciency of projectiles for use against submarines, or the relatively thin unprotected portion of the hull of a war vessel below the armor belt or other submerged object.

Another object of the invention is to provide a projectile of this character adapted to be used in ordinary guns without necessitating any alteration in the construction thereof to adapt them to the projectile and equipped with grooves capable when the projectile travels through water to form passages for the water, whereby the latter will operate to prevent deflection of the projectile and cause the same to pursue a straight line in the direction of the object at which it is aimed.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a projectile equipped with a packing at its inner or rear end to prevent the escape of gases and adapted when the projectile is fired to be automatically removed therefrom after the projectile has left the gun.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the constructionand novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being ur 1 derstood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the di awings Figure 1 is an elevation of submarine torpedo, constructed in accordance with this invention, I

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, I

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the projectile,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-42 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the projectile.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures or the drawings.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention 1 designates a projectile having an intermediate cylindrical portion 2 and pro vided with tapered inner and outer ends 3 and 4 and adapted to be either solid or chambered to receive an explosive. Thecylindrical portion is of slightly less diameter than bore of gun to admit of a wrapping of twine or stout Cordage which while holding the packing in the grooves also engages the rifling of the gun thus causing the rotation of the projectile. The projectile is provided with spiral longitudinally disposed grooves 5 open at each end and terminating short of the pointed terminals of the projectile as clearly illustrated in Fig.

1 of the accpmpanying drawings. The grooves taper gradually in depth from the intermediate cylindrical portion 2 where they are preterably greater than a. semicircle cross sectionally, as shown in Fig. 4. The intermediate cylindrical portion has closed curved faces between the grooves which are adapted to support the cordage or twine, which is engaged by the rifling 01" a gun whereby the projectile is rotated in the usual manner and when the projectile travels through water the spiral longitudinally disposed openended grooves form passages for the water which thereby serves to hold the projectile straight on its course toward the object against which it is aimed. The opposite tapering of the double pointed projectile cdoperates with the longitudinal spiral. grooving of the projectile to reduce "to the minimum the retarding and deflecting effect of the water. The rotary movement imparted to'the projectile by a riding of the gun will cause the water to flow spirally around the projectile which will be prevented from leaving a straight course so that the projectile may be accurately aimed at submerged objects.

This construction and operation will enable the projectile to be effectively employed against submarines and otheqsubmerged objects such as the rudders of vessels and the relatively thin unprotected portions of the hull beneath the armor belt of a War vessel.

The projectile is preferably arranged in a shell 6 containing a suitable explosive 7 and the gases are prevented from escaping when a gun is fired by means of a packing consisting of strips or lengths of rope 7. or other suitable material such as matting, extending rearwardly in the spiral groove from the front end or" the intermediate cylin- ;.d1 ical portion of the projectile to a point beyond the rear end of the same. The packing material which is pliant completely fills the packed portion of the spiral groove and is retained therein by a wrapping 8 of twine or other suitable material which is Wrapped around the projectile in a direction the reverse of the rotary movement imparted to the projectile by the rifiing of a gunwhereby the rotary movement of the projectile will operate to unwrap and loosen the twine so that the projectile will be freed of the packing after it leaves the gun. The packing strips or lengths 7* extend inwardly at the rear or inner end Ofa the projectile and are brought together at 9 and are bound tightly by the Wrapping 8 of twine and the space between the inner terminal portions of the packing strips and the shell is filled by suitable packing 10 of rope or the like.

The packing prevents the escape of the gas generated by the explosive and the projectile will be subjected to the full effect of the same and will automatically release itself from the packing after it leaves the gun. The tapered or pointed rear or inner portion of the projectile facilitates the release of the same from the packing as well as reduces the resistance to the passage of the projectile through the water, by eliminating the vacuum or suction set up at base of a projectile having a flat end when same is in rapid flight. The water flowing through thegrooves of the projectile breaks up this vacuum and resulting suction and thereby increases effective range.

It will be seen that the projectile is adapted to be used in modern guns without necessitating any alteration in the construction thereof to adapt the guns to the ammunition and that any trivial increase in the cost of the ammunition will be more than offset by the increase in the efficienoy and accuracy of the projectile.

Instead of employing twine for securing the packing in the grooves of the projectile any other suitable material may of course be used.

What is claimed is l. The combination of a projectile having oppositely tapered terminal portions and provided with spiral grooves and intervening curved faces, packing material disposed in the grooves of the projectile at the base or inner end thereof and a flexible wrapping arranged around the projectile and the packing and adapted to be unwound .by the rotary movement of the projectile.

'2. The combination with a shell, of a spirally grooved-projectile arranged in the shell and packing material disposed in the grooves of the projectile and around the base or inner end thereof and flexible wrapping surrounding the projectile and directed into the shell.

3. The combination of a projectile having curved peripheral faces to be engaged indirectly by the 'rifling of a gun for rotating the projectile, said projectile being also provided with grooves forming passages for water whereby the latter will operate to hold the projectile straight to its course and packing arranged in the grooves for preventing the escape of gas generated by an explosive and a flexible wrapping arranged around the projectile and the packing and adapted to be unwound by the rotary movement of the projectile.

4. The combination with a shell, of a projectile having a tapered rear or inner In testimony whereof I aflix my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER R. GILLIS. Witnesses:

B. J. VAN VLEoK, E. A. Ln CLAIR. 

